Pictured (L-R): Richard Wills, Ursula Lidbetter, David Dexter and Andy Baxendale.
The founding board members of Greater Lincolnshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) were announced at an inaugural meeting on Tuesday, December 7.
The twelve representatives, six from business and six civic leaders from publicly funded organisations, elected a Chair and Vice-Chair during the meeting at the University of Lincoln’s [email protected] building.
Along with 23 other LEPs across the country, the Lincolnshire partnership was established to replace England’s nine regional development agencies.
The LEPs were approved by the Government on October 28 and can bid for cash from a national £1.4billion growth fund, which will be released over three years.
The Lincolnshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership board members are:
Chair: Ursula Lidbetter (Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Co-operative)
Vice-Chair: David Dexter (Federation of Small Business)
Herman Kok (Chair of Employment & Skills Board and FD of Lindum Group)
Chris Baron (Resort Director, Butlins)
Neil Corner (Siemens’ Director of Service)
Mark Tinsley (Chair of Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture and director of PC Tinsley)
Cllr Doreen Stephenson (Leader of East Lindsey District Council Districts
Professor Andrew Atherton (Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln)
Andy Baxendale (Northern Area Manager for the Environment Agency)
Tony Hill (NHS Director of public health and partnerships)
Richard Wills (LCC Director for Development/representing the Secretariat)
“We are pleased to have reached the milestone of establishing the board so quickly,” said Andrew Thurston, Head of Enterprise Development at the County Council.
“This means we can get started in preparing funding bids to benefit county projects and bring forward business growth,” Thurston added.
First project focused on Teal Park and Siemens
The first bid from the Lincolnshire LEP is expected in January 2011, and among other purposes, some of this money would be used for transport infrastructure and to facilitate Siemens’s turbine operations move to the upcoming Teal Park.
According to plans, around 540 workers from Siemens’ site in Waterside South on Firth Road would move to premises yet to be built at Teal Park.
Siemens saw its unit orders double in the financial year 2009-10 compared with the same period in 2008-09, which is a record for the Lincoln site.
Neil Corner, Siemens’ Director of Service, is on the Lincolnshire LEP board.
Lincolnshire LEP Vice-Chair David Dexter said: “It will be a mixture of funds, from the private sector, the County Council, and the regional development fund.
“It’s not entirely funded by the [Government] fund, it’s a mixture. That’s what LEP is all about, bringing together the private sector and public sector.”
Ursula Lidbetter, Chair of the Lincolnshire LEP said the partnership also has other plans for the county, which are in development stages at the moment.
“We’re not just thinking about the obvious factories and offices. We’re also thinking about opportunities to use our natural environment for economic and social benefit.
“We’re keen to establish good relationships across the county and beyond and look forward to working with all local organisations which share our passion for the success of Lincolnshire.”
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We want to speak to three individuals in relation to a burglary which took place at Tattershall Farm Park at around 1.45am in the early hours of Monday, 8 August.
A fence was broken to gain access to the grounds, and a rear door to the workshop was forced open. Numerous power tools and equipment were stolen, including a red quad bike, to the value of around £25,000.
The escape was made via the same route across a field to the rear and along Marsh Lane, Tattershall using two-barrel carts from the site to transport the stolen goods down the lane.
If you know these individuals, or you have any further information that will help with our investigation please get in touch.
Please email [email protected] quoting ‘Incident 86 of 8 August’ in the subject line.
Or call 101 quoting Incident 86 of 8 August.
If you wish to remain anonymous you can report any information via CrimeStoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
Doddington Hall Farm Shop near Lincoln will feature in a new Channel 5 series which celebrates the British love of a good farm shop.
Episode one of ‘Britain’s Poshest Farm Shop’ is due to air on Channel 5 at 8pm on Friday, August 12. Doddington Hall features throughout episode 1 alongside farm shops in North Wales and Devon.
The two-part series is narrated by Patricia Hodge and described as “a warm and touching look at why we all love a farm shop, the characters that inhabit them and the people behind the scenes that work so hard to create outstanding produce.”
Owner Claire Birch in the Kitchen Garden, a stone’s throw from the Farm Shop.
Doddington Farm Shop Kitchen Garden display.
Doddington Hall said its award-winning farm shop wasn’t built on being ‘posh, but was “born out of a passion to provide our customers with good quality, seasonal, local food.”
Doddington Hall said Production company Out of the Blue TV filmed “on a momentous day when the cows were being put out to pasture for the first time after the winter so they were gambolling in the sunshine.”
Doddington Farm Shop Kitchen Garden display.
Owners Claire Birch & James Birch and stockman Hari Limbu.
Since 2006, the Elizabethan Doddington Hall has been the much-loved family home of Claire and James Birch. Claire’s family have lived in the Hall for over 190 years, devoting themselves to the upkeep, repair and progression of the Doddington Estate.
After a 50 year absence, the formerly neglected two-acre walled Kitchen Garden was restored to its former glory in 2007, inspiring the opening of the Farm Shop followed by the Cafe. Just a stone’s throw from the Hall, it provides an abundance of fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs which take centre stage in the Farm Shop and on Doddington Hall’s menus.
Owner Claire Birch in her kitchen in Doddington Hall, giving a sneaky peek into the ancient recipe archive.
Owner Claire Birch with a Kitchen Garden tromboncino squash.
Over the last 16 years, Claire and James have developed the Farm Shop, Bike Shop, Café, Coffee Shop, Restaurant, Home Store, Country Clothing Store, Holiday Cottages, Bauble Barn, Christmas Tree sales, Weddings and Events businesses; increased public access and organised popular concerts and exhibitions with all proceeds going towards the upkeep and conservation of the historic Hall and Gardens.
This year, the Doddington Hall Conservation Charity secured National Lottery Heritage Funding to develop ‘Wilder Connections’, a project to connect people with nature at Wilder Doddington.